Many industrial and household organic solvents such as hydrocarbon solvents manufactured under the trademark VARSOL of Imperial Oil, Calgary, Canada, or such as turpentine, are made of petroleum distillates and are frequently flammable. This evidently creates a hazard, particularly when these solvents are used in oil and gas exploration as well site operation fluids. Such well site operation fluids are pumped down the well, often under high pressure, and are frequently used in the vicinity of equipment with high temperature components, such as exhaust pipes. The use of flammable organic solvents in these conditions and during transportation evidently presents a hazard.
In particular, when light petroleum distillates (having primarily between 5 and 12 carbon atoms) are used for fracturing a well formation, the very high pressures used can create a fire hazard. For example, among frac oils used in industry, the following products of Dome Petroleum Limited of Calgary, Alberta have densities (in kg/m.sup.3 at 15.degree. C.) and flash points (flash points are Pensky Martens throughout this patent disclosure) indicated: FRAC OIL 120 . . . 780, 10.degree. C.; FRAC OIL 200 . . . 785, 20.degree. C.; FRAC OIL 300 . . . 800, -3.degree. C.; FRAC OIL 500 . . . 798, 15.degree. C. SUPER FRAC.TM. made by Home Oil Company Limited of Calgary, Alberta has a flash point of 15.degree. C. and density of 778. Diesel P-40 has a flash point of 43.degree. C. and density of 820. These fluids are being actively used as frac oils and the present invention is believed to have utility for fire retarding them, and other similar flammable organic solvents.
Substitution of other fluids for the volatile hydrocarbons, or alteration of these fluids to make them non-flammable, cannot be reliably predicted to work in part because of formation compatibility.